Life on the bridges
Promoting the conservation of bats: Konstanze Mez and Hans Gysin are volunteer bat conservationists and ambassadors for the shy animals.
They work as volunteers and bring plenty of enthusiasm with them. Konstanze Mez and Hans Gysin adore these small flying mammals hiding under the Chapel Bridge. Read about why their engagement is so vital and how the bats can be counted in the dark.
Just like the bats, the bat conservationists become active at dusk. Several times a year they meet to count the population of the Daubenton’s bats’ roost under the Chapel Bridge. Bat counts would be impossible without the engagement and knowledge of volunteer helpers like Konstanze Mez and Hans Gysin as these nocturnal hunters are small and nimble.
During the day, the bats – the majority of which are female – live hidden beneath the bridge cladding, raising their young under the feet of untold passers-by. In the evening – when there are fewer people on the bridge – they begin to emerge from their roost to forage. This is the best moment to conduct a bat count. The two volunteer bat conservationists get into position, eyes peeled and ultrasound detectors primed. How many animals will they manage to record this time?
Daubenton’s bats are discovered roosting under the Chapel Bridge
is the number of bats counted at the site
is the weight of this little hunter
is the average frequency of their calls
is their body temperature when hibernating in winter
is the weight of insects a single bat will eat in a season
… is a common enough noise. The bats do not seem to be bothered by noise pollution from the bridge, but they are sensitive to light.
Konstanze Mez: We try to locate the bats before they emerge. They can always be somewhere different under the bridge. First of all, I walk back and forth on the bridge with the detector and try to listen for some initial sounds. I use in-ear headphones to cut out ambient noise. When I hear something, I stop and lean over the parapet to get closer to the source of the sound.
Hans Gysin: The bat count uses a combination of sight and sound. At least two people are needed to do the count. One stands on the bank of the Reuss and one on the bridge. Both have an ultrasound detector in their hand. I also put recording devices in the flower boxes.
Mez: Daubenton’s bats are not easy to spot with the naked eye. This species emerges very late in the evening when it’s almost dark and they are then very difficult to make out against the reflective surface of the water. The species cannot be determined by ultrasonic frequency alone. Bats have different calls, change frequency in mid-call and even avoid each other. The calls that the bat makes while hunting are very different from those it emits when it is unhurriedly making its way back to the roost.
Gysin: I can then analyse the data that has been recorded on my computer at home in my own time. This way we can be more confident of the results.
I have been asked in the past whether it’s a Geiger counter.
Konstanze Mez
Mez: We don’t know exactly. Even though a significant amount of research work has been carried out on the Daubenton’s bats living under the Chapel Bridge, we actually know very little. It’s more about establishing and proving the presence of the bats and so being able to protect them.
Gysin: We make certain to carry out a count both before and after the annual Lucerne Festival. Any proposed events in the vicinity of the Chapel Bridge are reviewed by the city authorities beforehand to ensure that they are bat-friendly. They don’t seem to be bothered by noise pollution from the bridge, but they are sensitive to light.
Gysin: The devices are actually my hobby. I have more of a technical background… I’m an electrical engineer and have been involved in developing these types of ultrasound devices. It’s a way for me to give something back to nature.
Mez: I find watching the bats simply fascinating. I love the wait and then the thrill of making some small discovery. And I’d like to take away people’s fear of bats. These extraordinary animals are not scary, nor do they have anything to do with vampires. This means doing a lot of talking and explaining. We act as ambassadors between bats and people.